No. 4 Syracuse Edges No. 7 Field Hockey 2-1 in Overtime

Friday, September 30

Syracuse, NY

3:30 PM

University of Louisville

(9-2, 1-2ACC)

Syracuse

(9-1, 3-1ACC)

OT 2

Louisville

Syracuse

No. 4 Syracuse Edges No. 7 Field Hockey 2-1 in Overtime

September 30, 2016 | Field Hockey

Box Score Syracuse 2 - Louisville 1 (OT) PDF

Cards lose 2-1 heartbreaker on a penalty stroke in overtime

Lies Lagerweij's penalty stroke in overtime lifted No. 4 Syracuse to a 2-1 win over No. 7 Louisville in an ACC field hockey matchup Friday at J.S. Coyne Stadium in Syracuse, N.Y.

"This is a hard one to swallow, losing on a penalty call," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "We played hard, competed for the entirety and had numerous opportunities to finish the game. This hurts, but we must take an honest look at ourselves to see where we can make the next step."

The teams played through an evenly-matched first half, trading possessions and scoring opportunities. The Orange (9-1, 3-1 ACC) held an 8-6 advantage in shots and a 2-0 edge in penalty corners, but the Cardinals (9-2, 1-2 ACC) broke through with the first goal of the game with 15 seconds left in the half.

Freshman Minout Mink dribbled the ball into the right side of the circle and sent a shot past Syracuse goalkeeper Regan Spencer's diving save attempt. Mink's team-best 10^th goal of the season gave Louisville a 1-0 lead entering the break. The Cardinals' defense held strong, bolstered by sophomore goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran's five stops and a defensive save by junior Gianna Perrone, to keep the Orange off of the scoreboard in the first half.

The Cards opened the second half with three shots and two corners in the first 10 minutes. Louisville held the 1-0 lead until midway through the half when Elaine Cary connected on a cross from Liz Sack to even the score at 1-1.

Both teams had multiple scoring chances as they battled throughout the remaining 17 minutes of regulation, but neither could convert on the opportunities. In the second half, McFerran stopped three of Syracuse shots while Spencer turned back two of the Cardinals' scoring attempts.

With the score still knotted at 1-1, the game entered a 15-minute sudden-victory overtime period. Louisville held possession early on, but six minutes into the extra frame, a penalty stroke was called as Syracuse began to attack within the Cardinals' defensive circle. Lagerweij lifted a shot into the top left corner of the cage for the win.

In the game, Syracuse held a 15-10 advantage in shots while the teams had three corners apiece. McFerran (8-2) collected a season-high eight saves in the contest.

Louisville (9-2, 1-2) will return to Trager Stadium to face No. 18 Iowa on Sunday at 1 p.m.